Esther Okoronkwo scored a late goal in Abidjan, as the Super Falcons did not only secure a 1-0 victory over Cote d'Ivoire in the second leg of their final qualifying round for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) but, qualification to the tournament in July.
The 1-0 victory meant Nigeria qualified for their 14th tournament, eleven of which, they have won.
Coach of the team Randy Waldrum maintained the same formation against the Ivorians in Abidjan but made two changes to the starting XI that won in Abuja. Regina Otu and Francisca Ordega both, starting in the places of Amanda Mbadi and Toni Payne.
Going into the game on the front foot courtesy of a home victory in Abuja, the Super Falcons knew maintaining calmness while defending was as important as going for goals.
And, they did just that in the early moments of the first half, despite early pressure from the Lady Elephants.
Ivory Coast were handed a lifeline in the 33rd minute of the game to pull an aggregate goal back. However, Chiamaka Nnadozie ensured that wasn't going to happen as she kept her cool while stopping the initial kick, with the rebound going off-target, to her left.
The Super Falcons got their chance to go front with minutes left on the clock for the interval, but the referee ruled it out for no-goal with the first-half ending in a stalemate.
The second half, like the first, saw the Super Falcons bag more yellow cards while trying to keep the Ivorians out. But this time, and unlike the first half, they dominated possession.
Despite more attempts by the home team, Waldrum's side ensured the game remained goalless with ten minutes to go.
With just three minutes left in regulation time, Esther Okoronkwo found herself in space and buried the ball in the back of Cote d'Ivoire's goal giving Nigeria a 1-0 lead, but it was already too little too late for Lady Elephants to find their way back into the game.
The win gave the Super Falcons a 3-0 aggregate victory at full-time, securing them a 14th consecutive AWCON appearance.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Nigeria will now proceed to participate in the AWCON in Morocco in July 2022. The women's continental tournament is expected to double as the African qualifiers to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The top four teams at the AWCON will then qualify for the World Cup, with two more teams proceeding to the inter-confederation play-offs to seek a place in the Australia/New Zealand 2023.